Review: MAKE Beauty

Hello, lovelies! In my last post I promised a review, and here it finally is! This time around, I’m testing out a few products from MAKE Beauty.

MAKE is an indie cosmetics company that celebrates creativity and expressionism in their philosophy, hence the name. I’ve partnered with them through BrandBacker to review some samples for you today! (Disclaimer here).

If you are interested in any of the products you can use the code: MAKEYOURSELF for 20% off your purchase through 4/15/16! (not an affiliate code)

Formula/Finish- This is a sheer formula that has a light with a glossy finish, however it is supposed to be a Silk Cream formula. I find it too sheer to be a cream finish. 3/5

Ingredients- These contain antioxidant vitamins, rosehip, soybean, and safflower oils and aloe and chamomile extracts. I could not find a full ingredient list online though to make a full conclusion. 3.5/5

Color Payoff/Pigmentation- The color is a lovely everyday, subtle dusty pinky rose shade. It is not very opaque so there is not a lot of payoff, but I think it is intended to have a medium amount of coverage. However, it is more like a light-medium coverage. In comparison, here are some swatches of similar colors I have in my collection. In hindsight, I should have swatched it among similar formulas I have, but at least you can really see how light the color is. I tried to swatch it on my lips but I already have such pigmented lips that you couldn’t really see it. 2.5/5

Longevity- As this is a very sheer formula, it does not wear that long and gradually fades throughout the day. 3/5

Pros:

Not tested on animals, paraben-free, hypoallergenic.

Beautiful shade that can be worn everyday.

Comfortable formula to wear on the lips that isn’t drying.

Cons:

A bit pricey at $25 for .12 oz of product at full size (this is a sample size). In comparison, the Amuse Bouche lipsticks I reviewed here are $26 for .15 oz of product.

Alabaster Shadow

Formula/Finish- This is a light off white shade with a yellow undertone. The finish is matte. The texture is very velvety and does not go on patchy whatsoever. I can blend colors over it easily. 4/5

Ingredients- Once again, I can’t find a full ingredient list online. Maybe its listed on the packaging, but since these are sample sized, I did not get any of the boxes. However, I do know that these contain Vitamin C & E which contain antioxidants that help nourish and protect the delicate eyelid area. 3/5

Color Payoff/Pigmentation- I have a light-medium complexion and this is too light to show up on me even after many layers and primer. I haven’t tried it wet, so maybe that might help, but this color itself is not very pigmented at all. I even tried to swatch it and it would NOT show up. I can’t speak for any of the other shades in this range though. 2/5

Longevity- I used this to set my lid before blending and under the browbone. I barely noticed a difference since the pigmentation is so low, so I can’t really tell if it is still there or not by the end of the day. 2/5

You can blend over it nicely so it makes a nice base for other shadows.

It is not patchy and the texture is a nice velvet feeling.

Cons

The color is not universal and is not that pigmented.

Is in the medium-high price range as well at $25 for .10 oz of product. However, in comparison to a single Urban Decay shadow at $19 for .05 oz of product it is a bit more cost efficient.

The MAKE Brand

Pros:

MAKE donates 10% of their sales to the We See Beauty Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the women-led, worker-owned cooperative businesses across the Americas— I love this!!!

MAKE does not test on animals, and offers cruelty-free and vegan products.

The products are made in NYC.

The packaging has a beautiful minimalist aesthetic.

Cons:

I understand that MAKE is a small brand and have a certain minimalist theme, but I wish they could make a few adjustments that would help the user experience. First off, I wish they would list the ingredients online to be more transparent.

Secondly, I wish they would have more swatches. Some companies have started including live swatches on different skin tones so that you have more of an idea of what the color would look like on you, and I really think that MAKE could benefit from this.

Conclusion:

Overall, I’m really interested in MAKE as a brand. They have some really unique products like a primer that blocks the light rays emitted from electronic devices that can be just as damaging as UV rays! However, these samples just did not work for me. The colors were too light for my complexion and did not give me the payoff I desired. They were also very tiny. I think MAKE could definitely make some improvements as to how user friendly their website is by adding ingredient lists and swatches. However, I love how they are giving back to the community through the We See Beauty Foundation and seem to have good ingredient content from what is listed, along with good ethics as they don’t test on animals. MAKE as a brand has a lot of positive things going for them, but I think they still have a bit of room for improvement. I think I will look into trying out more things from MAKE that are more suited for my coloring and needs using the discount code MAKEYOURSELF. Overall, I give MAKE Beauty a 3.5/5

Alright, that’s a wrap for this review! I hope you found it helpful and get some shopping in using the discount code. Until next time,